Rivals to roommates: Hurley, Shockley prepare for college life

Cade Hurley and Connor Shockley may be the most competitive best friends on the face of the planet.

The two compete at everything — hunting, shooting, cooking, weightlifting and most importantly, baseball.

Cade Hurley (left) and Connor Shockley (right) have been best friends since their freshman year of ...more

Cade Hurley (left) and Connor Shockley (right) have been best friends since their freshman year of high school.

Staff Photo by Richard Pollitt

That’s how things have always been for the duo of ballplayers who became best friends their freshman year of high school. Shockley had asked Hurley for a ride to the beach to meet up with a mutual friend, and from there on out, the two were inseparable.

“We were already like friends, I mean we had played against each other, so I was like ‘Hey can I get a ride,’ and then it just went from there,” Shockley said. “We spent like that whole summer together — it was like spend the whole week together, go home for one day.”

The friendship that started in Hurley’s car will now head down to South Carolina as the two prepare to start college at USC Sumter next fall.

But despite their strong friendship, the two were constantly pitted against one another when the high school baseball season rolled around each year.

Shockley, a shortstop for the Parkside Rams, and Hurley, a first baseman for the James M. Bennett Clippers, were key pieces in a rivalry that has lasted for more than five decades.

In recent history, Parkside has had the upper hand, winning the Bayside Championship in 2016 and sweeping the Clippers in the 2017 regular season.

But that doesn’t stop Hurley from always competing with Shockley to see who’s the best at whatever task the two can think of.

“It’s always who can eat the most, who can eat the fastest, who’s got the biggest catch, who can shoot better, it doesn't matter what,” Hurley said.

On the field, the two have shared almost identical roles on their respective teams. Both have become shutdown defenders at their positions in the infield while having the power to blast the ball over the fence while at the plate.

In 2016 and 2017, the duo was named to the Bayside South All-Conference First Team while also earning a spot in the All-Star game their senior season.

It’s no surprise though – the two are constantly together either having fun or helping one another improve their overall game.

When they’re not on the diamond, they can be found in the woods hunting deer and ducks during the fall. In the summer, they enjoy spending time at the beach and hanging with friends.

Cade Hurley (left) and Connor Shockley (right) committed to USC Sumter after four years of being ...more

Cade Hurley (left) and Connor Shockley (right) committed to USC Sumter after four years of being city rivals.

Staff Photo by Richard Pollitt

But when the first pitch is thrown on game day, that friendship gets put on hold until the final out is recorded.

Learning the game

Much like their playing career, Hurley and Shockley’s introduction to the sport presented itself in a similar way.

Shockley’s father, Mike, has been a familiar name around the baseball community the past four decades, earning All-Bayside First Team honors while playing at Wi-Hi and setting program records as a starter at Salisbury University.

After going semipro, Mike became a coach at the Little League, high school and college levels, and was inducted into the Eastern Shore Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014. With a lifetime of experience right under his roof, baseball became a natural activity for Shockley growing up.

“He introduced me to baseball, and I just loved it,” Shockley said.

Staff photo by Justin Odendhal

Though his father helped him enhance his game, it was Hurley’s grandfather who first introduced him to the game he would go on to love.

At 4 years old, Hurley would go outside and play catch with his grandfather for hours until the two became too tired.

“He was with me every day while my mom was at work, and he would literally just send me pop-flies in the backyard for like three hours at a time, just until he couldn’t go anymore,” Hurley said.

As the two started to become more familiar with the sport, they each joined Little League teams hoping to excel in a competitive atmosphere. Much like they would be in high school, Shockley and Hurley squared off in rival leagues, with Shockley playing in Fruitland and Hurley going to West Salisbury.

With it, the duo got its first glimpse of who the other was and what kind of skills they possessed. Standing at the plate against Shockley, who was a pitcher at the time, Hurley quickly became familiar with his future best friend.

“We were like 13, and I remembered he threw hard, he pitched a real hard ball. Sometimes he would throw like four balls 2 inches from my head, and was just like ‘I’ll go take my bag now,’” Hurley said with a laugh.

When Little League wasn’t in session, the two played travel ball together and even traveled to North Carolina and Georgia to compete in tournaments during the summer.

Even though they would compete at times, the two have always had mutual respect and made sure to do whatever possible to help the other achieve success — especially when it came time to commit to college.

Committing to Sumter

While Shockley and Hurley are less than two months away from moving down south , Shockley’s commitment to USC Sumter may not have happened had Hurley not spoken up when one of Sumter’s coaches said he was looking for an infielder.

Asked if he knew any middle infielders who would be interested in playing at Sumter, Hurley was quick to drop Shockley’s name and pitch why he would be a good fit on the Fire Ants' squad.

Hearing about Shockley, Sumter sent a coach up to Salisbury in hopes of witnessing firsthand how good their future infielder was.

Bennett's Cade Hurley (34) halts before sliding into second base during a game against Parkside on ...more

Bennett's Cade Hurley (34) halts before sliding into second base during a game against Parkside on Wednesday, April 19, 2017.

Staff photo by Ralph Musthaler

“I think I played like one of the best games I had played all summer. I was three-for-four and had two really good plays, and he was like ‘Yeah we want you,’” Shockley said. “He said he wanted both of us, so I was like, 'I’m sold.'”

With his best friend now making the journey with him, Hurley became eager to say goodbye to the cold weather and hello to warm temperatures and great food.

“I’m not coming back … maybe in the summertime when its warm, and Christmas or Thanksgiving for the food, but other than that,” Hurley said while laughing.

But at the end of the day, the two are determined to make an impact on the team while earning their degrees. Shockley plans to major in marketing while Hurley will study criminal justice in hopes of becoming a police officer.

For Hurley, playing baseball will be a major piece in his college career, but ensuring he could get a good education and work one-on-one with professors was key in deciding to commit to Sumter.

“I loved that it was a smaller school which means you’ll get more attention in the classroom. The coach also has a lot of connections around the area, so those two things really stood out to me,” Hurley said.

With their high school playing days in the books, the two admitted they will miss the teammates and atmosphere that comes at a high school baseball game.

“I’m going to miss the relaxness of high school baseball at times compared to next year when it’s all pressure, but I’m going to miss the coaches and all the people at Parkside," Shockley said.

Preparing for college

The duo had the advantage of learning under two of the most successful high school coaches in the Bayside South — Brian Hollamon for Parkside and Jay Fenoglietto at Bennett.

“Coach Hollamon’s practices are like a college practice to be honest. They’re run really smooth and well, and you get a lot done,” Shockley said.

Parkside's Connor Shockley with the hit against Bennett on Thursday, March 30, 2017.

Parkside's Connor Shockley with the hit against Bennett on Thursday, March 30, 2017.

Staff Photo by Megan Raymond

Much like Hollamon, Fenoglietto pushed his athletes to be the best they could, and never put up with any nonsense, according to Hurley. Going through his own battle of cancer, Bennett’s head coach showed Hurley how to overcome adversity while remaining strong and helping the team.

But away from the diamond, Clippers basketball coach Dean Sullivan played a pivotal role in preparing Hurley for the next level.

His training in the weight room, paired with his knowledge and wisdom, have made Hurly confident he has what it takes to succeed when he makes the move to Sumter.

“He’s been a big part of how I’ve progressed over this year. He told me, in the weight room (at Bennett), (there are) three or four guys who are really serious, but when you get there (Sumter), everyone’s serious. Everybody’s pushing you and you need to be ready, and he really helped me do that,” Hurley said.

With the amount of success the duo has seen over the past few years, along with the familiarity Shockley and Hurley have with one another, the high school graduates are ready to start the next chapter in their baseball journey.

They have already planned how to survive the early days of transitioning from high-schoolers to college students. Hurley will do the cooking and Shockley will help with the schoolwork.

“I think it’s going to work out; we should be good,” Shockley said.

Although almost everything will be different when the two move into their dorm room, there is one thing that will always remain the same.

“He always has to calm me down if I get fired up, and we’re always going to be there for each other,” Hurley said. “He’s my brother.”